As an attorney, you give advice to clients and make decisions that can have a massive impact on client's lives and finances. You may also handle large amounts of their money and other property. The matters that you advise them on are often highly complex and require a professional level of knowledge. If you get it wrong, your clients could lose their homes, their jobs, or even their lives (capital punishment). Because of that, every jurisdiction in America require someone who wants to be a lawyer to demonstrate s/he meets certain basic standards of character and fitness and to demonstrate minimum competence in the law. Some states technically allow people to take the bar exam without going to law school if they study for a number of years with a practicing attorney, but typically these students find it very hard to pass the bar exam.
